observations, comments, findings—factual and fictional— beliefs, and thoughts about the world and its creatures started and maintained as a way to keep amuse and possibly edify the world's pilgrims on their journey to we know not where

Monday, November 21, 2005

This wee tidbit from Think Progress appears to say that when it comes to deciding whether white phosphorus is a chemical weapon or a particularly foul incendiary weapon--when used against people rather than as a smoke screen or target marker--that Pentagon likes to have it both ways. If used by our "enemies" against our friends WP is a WMD, a proscribed chemical weapon, but used by us against our enemies it is a venerable incendiary device. What changes, of course, is not the chemical structure of whie phosphorus but our relationship to it and all it represents--recognizing, or course, that humans fire the rounds.

I don't care whether white phosphorus is classed as a chemical weapon or an incendiary device or any other euphemysemeemweapon, because in essence, its use as a weapon intended to kill and maim is beyond the pale. I seem to recall an old adage that goes like this: If you adopt the tactics and methods of your enemy in order to defeat him, you also defeat yourself, for you are then your own enemy.

1 comment:

someone must have told cheney that he looked like a deranged rat (hahahahah), or maybe he reads this blog (wouldn't that be nice?), because yesterday he thought to call off the attack dogs on murtha's credibility as a veteran. or maybe he just distanced himself from the attack dogs. you never know what these people actually think.